Taiwan’s new mega-ship container terminal is a step closer to completion after the country successfully finalised the land reclamation project at the Port of Kaohsiung.
The building of the new Intercontinental Container Terminal (ICT) will significantly increase Taiwan’s maritime competitiveness, according to the Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC).
The project, known as ICT Phase Two, is the largest infrastructure project in Taiwan’s history, according to the TIPC.
The land reclamation was completed in December 2019, as the country looks to build “a new large container transshipment terminal”.
The TIPC said the new hub will be “ideally suited to the long-term needs of global shipping”, meaning larger ships will be able to call at Kaohsiung in the future.
It is also hoped the land reclamation will streamline current container terminal operations.
In total, 422.5 hectares of land will be reclaimed and this will include space for 19 deep-water wharves and adjacent yard land.
These will include 2,415 metres of quay length to accommodate five 18 metre deep-water berths able to service the latest fleet of mega-ships.
It will also open up new space for related investment and activity and new opportunities for what the TIPC called “port-city cooperation”.
To further solidify its position as a key shipping hub in the western Pacific, TIPC has signed long-term contracts with container shipping companies and built out its modern container ship handling and logistics capabilities.
More broadly, it will create what the TIPC calls an “engine for economic growth” in southern Taiwan and facilitate the Port of Kaoshiung’s transformation into a smart port.
